Envy Wines - PLUS!

The winery has received extremely high marks and rave reviews

Platinum

Mark Carter’s career is somewhat varied and incredibly interesting. The Eureka, CA native began as a builder of houses and commercial properties and eventually (in 1986) built a grand Victorian mansion that he named Carter House. Another three splendid Victorians were added to the unique property that sits alongside Humboldt Bay in the Old Town section of Eureka.

The houses were made into bed and breakfasts and quickly became a favorite destination spot for numerous visitors. A restaurant, simply named 301 Restaurant, completed the property and soon made Mark Carter a prosperous man. About the same time, a winemaker in Napa Valley, Nils Venge, was being awarded a perfect 100 by Robert Parker for one of his wines, and the attention the rating received sparked something inside Mark Carter. The grandson of an Italian immigrant who ventured out and secured grapes that he made into a family-style, Italian red, Mark Carter’s family had wine with their Sunday dinners starting when Carter was the age of 3. With that interest in wine in his back pocket, Mark Carter decided to seek out Venge with an eye towards starting his own winery.

The two became friends and Venge visited Carter’s enclave numerous times to officiate at winemaker dinners. In 1994, the persistent Carter was finally able to persuade Venge to make some wine for him under the aegis of Carter Cellars. The brand did very well for the next decade, but then Carter approached Venge with another proposition – to go in together and build a winery that would serve as the flagship for their associated brands. A deal was struck and in 2006 the pair founded Envy Estate Winery on an 18-acre property that was formerly called Calistoga Cellars (the name Envy was inspired by the pronunciation of Nils Venge’s initials – NV).

Since Envy’s initial release in 2007, the winery has received extremely high marks and rave reviews for practically all of its estate wines. With a savvy team at the helm, Envy Estate Winery seems poised to join the ranks of California’s top ultra-premium wine producers. They have excellent grapes, marvelous expertise, and a business partnership that seems to have been made in heaven. Cheers!